Pakhtoon History

Introduction to the Pukhtuns

Pukhtuns (also called as Pashtuns and Pathans) are an ethnic group that has it’s origin in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Pukhtuns converted to Islam in the early days of Islam and have never adopted any other religion since then. The way of life of Pukhtuns is a very rigorous and fascinating set of traditions called Pukhtunwali which is a subtle blend of Islam and some very old tribal cultural trends. The personality of a Pukhtun is colourful, unpredictable and multi-facet. When he loves, he loves wholeheartedly, and when he hates, he will not be shy of showing it. He will die for his friend, and will extend hospitality even to his enemy.  The greatest pride of a Pukhtun is his honour, and the greatest shame for a Pukhtun is if he is considered a coward.

The language spoken by the 50 to 60 million pukhtuns around the world is called Pushto or Pukhto, which is a highly evolved and sophisticated language having very old traditions of verbal and written literature. It is believed (although with some difference of opinion) that the earliest written Pashto poems were written by Amir Karor in the 8^th Century CE.

The Origin of Pukhtuns

The origin of Pukhtuns has always been a point of debate amongst the historians. There have been various hypotheses, but none of the hypotheses is conclusive or universally accepted.

Some of the older writers were of the opinion that Pashtuns has a Semitic origin. Khwaja Niamatullah, in his famous book “Makhzan e Afghani”,  describes them as descendants of Jews, connecting them to the ten lost tribes of Israel. This theory is also supported by some Pashtun writers, like Hafiz Rahmat Khan, Afzal Khan Khattak and Qazi Attaullah Khan. There are no historical evidences presented for this theory. The only bases of this view seem to be Pukhtun physiognomy, and the striking resemblance in the facial features of Pukhtuns and Jews. This theory, however, has been disregarded by a large number of scholars. Syed Bahadur Shah Zafar Kakakhail, in his famous book “Pashtun the Tarikh Pa Ranra Ki” meaning “Pashtun in the light of History”, and Sir Olaf Caroe in his great book “The Pathans” strongly disagree with Khwaja Niamatullah, and they have very sound reasons for the disagreement.

Some historians suggest that the Paktha tribe mentioned in Rigveda (written in 1700-1100 BC) which inhabited Eastern Afghanistan are the ancestors of the modern day Pukhtuns. The Greek historian Herodotus also mentioned a tribe called Pactyans that lived in the same area around the 1^st millennium BCE. He also mentions that a tribe called Apridai , which very obviously is the current Afridi tribe, occupied the land west of the Indus river.

Origin of Pukhtuns in Australia

Pukhtuns came to Australia during 1867 – 1910 as camel drivers. At that time, the use of camels was needed for the Burke and Wills expeditions that took place in 1860. In 1860–61, Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills led an expedition of 19 men with the intention of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the south to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north, a distance of around 3,250 kilometres (approximately 2,000 miles. At that time most of the inland of Australia had not been explored by non-indigenous people and was completely unknown to the European settlers. The south-north leg was successfully completed (except that they were stopped by swampland 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the northern coastline), but owing to poor leadership and bad luck, both of the expedition’s leaders died on the return journey.  Camels were imported for this expedition from Afghanistan. The camels were accompanied by two Pukhtuns, Dost Muhammad and Isa Khan. Dost Muhammad died after the expedition in an accident and was the first Pukhtun to be buried on the Australian soil.

From then on, the great potential of the camel was recognized and thousands of camels were imported from Afghanistan for exploration purposes, as well as other uses. The camels were accompanied by a great number of Afghans (mostly composed of Pukhtuns). The journals, diaries and reports of early European explorers speak very highly of the Afghans – their strict adherence to the code of Islam (especially in regard to their daily prayers and the eating of halal meat and the avoidance of alcohol), and their excellent character, reliability, stamina and live-saving skills. Many of the explorers gladly acknowledge the debt owed to their camel-handlers in saving their lives in difficult and dangerous situations. The very success of most of these important expeditions was due to the Afghans themselves, and their ability to manage their camels. In recognition of their services, the name of the famous train that runs from Port Augusta to Alice Spring is called the “Ghan”.